Einar Smjørbak Gunnarsson

Einar Smjørbak Gunnarsson , († autumn 1263 ) was Archbishop of Norway from 1255 to 1263.

His father was the Lagmann and Birkebeiner Gunnar Grjonbak († 1232), his mother is unknown.

Einar is first mentioned in a document in 1240. When Duke Skule Bårdsson instigated a rebellion, he gave the eldest son of King Håkon Håkonsson , who was also called Håkon, the king's name at the Øyrating in the presence of Archbishop Sigurd . In 1248 he was in the service of the king when he needed him for an important mission to Birger Jarl in Sweden.

When Archbishop Sørle died in 1254, the cathedral chapter chose Einar, who was now a canon in Nidaros, as his successor without consulting the king. Einar received the news while studying in Paris. From there he immediately went to the Pope in Naples to receive the confirmation and the pallium. Pope Alexander IV consecrated it in Naples in March 1255. He gave Einar the necessary letters to the cathedral chapter, the episcopal city, the diocese, the other bishops and the king. During his stay he also succeeded in persuading the Pope to initiate a canonization process for Archbishop Øystein Erlendsson .

After returning to Norway, he immediately moved to Nidaros . Only then did he learn that King Håkon disapproved of the election and ordination without consulting him. The king also did not approve the initiation of a canonization process for Archbishop Øystein. There was a discussion between the archbishop and the king in Bergen , in which the differences were settled.

The next upset came when the archbishop advocated the division of the king's succession between his two sons. According to Einar, the son Håkon would become king and the younger Magnus duke over a third of the empire. The king refused. But no decision was made. The problem was solved when the son Håkon died in 1257. In the same year Magnus received the royal name from Archbishop Einar.

Archbishop Einar maintained a friendly relationship with King Magnus, unlike his father Håkon. A new dispute with Håkon arose in 1260 on the occasion of the election of a new bishop for the Diocese of Hamar . Einar stood up for a canon in Hamar who was not "the king's friend". Magnus made a comparison between king and archbishop, and one of the king's clergy was ordained bishop.

In 1261 Magnus and Ingeborg , the daughter of the Danish King Erik Plovpenning, married before the Archbishop, and three days later the Archbishop crowned them both. It was the first coronation of a queen in Norway.

At the beginning of the 20th century it was assumed that the archbishop was the author of the Königsspiegel. But this is no longer followed, as the theocratic-hierarchical ideology of the Königsspiegel suggests that its author is in the immediate vicinity of the king.

Explanations

↑ At that time, the epithet of people is placed after the first name and in front of the father's name, as the latter is not part of the name, but only a more precise designation of origin. The nickname Einars is rendered differently: Smjorbak, Smjørbak and Smørbak. The word “Smjor” does not exist. In contrast, “Smjør” and (more recently) “Smør” mean “butter”, which was also a means of payment at the time. So this part of the name indicates wealth. There was an important medieval noble family called "Smjør" in northern Norway. Therefore the spelling of Grethe Authén Blom in her history of Trondheim is the more plausible one. The component “bak” is unclear. The word can mean "back" (hestbak = horse's back) or "back". Then “Smjørbak” would mean “butter saddle”.
↑ At that time, many clergymen were studying in Paris. There is some evidence that the cathedral chapter in Nidaros had the largest number of masters in its ranks at the time. Seven of the 14 known masters in Norway belonged to the cathedral chapter. Source: Grethe Authén Blom: Hellig Olavs By. Middelalder til 1537 . Trondheim's history 997–1997. Universitetsforlaget 1997, p. 188.

literature

Magnus Stefansson: Article “Einar Gunnarsson Smjorbak” in: Norsk biografisk leksikon , accessed on March 11, 2011.

personal data
SURNAME	Einar Smjørbak Gunnarsson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Einar Gunnarsson Smjorbak
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Archbishop of Nidaros
DATE OF BIRTH	12th century or 13th century
DATE OF DEATH	1263
Place of death	Trondheim

[Smørbak-1] At that time, the epithet of people is placed after the first name and in front of the father's name, as the latter is not part of the name, but only a more precise designation of origin. The nickname Einars is rendered differently: Smjorbak, Smjørbak and Smørbak. The word “Smjor” does not exist. In contrast, “Smjør” and (more recently) “Smør” mean “butter”, which was also a means of payment at the time. So this part of the name indicates wealth. There was an important medieval noble family called "Smjør" in northern Norway. Therefore the spelling of Grethe Authén Blom in her history of Trondheim is the more plausible one. The component “bak” is unclear. The word can mean "back" (hestbak = horse's back) or "back". Then “Smjørbak” would mean “butter saddle”.

[Studium-2] At that time, many clergymen were studying in Paris. There is some evidence that the cathedral chapter in Nidaros had the largest number of masters in its ranks at the time. Seven of the 14 known masters in Norway belonged to the cathedral chapter. Source: Grethe Authén Blom: Hellig Olavs By. Middelalder til 1537 . Trondheim's history 997–1997. Universitetsforlaget 1997, p. 188.